SATCHVAI Band and Animals as Leaders – Two Epic Sets of Instrumental Guitar!

SATCHVAI Band played the Theater at Virgin Hotels (formerly the Joint) on Saturday, April 11, 2026.

For decades, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani have been two of rock’s most revered guitar virtuosos. Vai was a former member of Alcatrazz (having replaced Yngwie Malmsteen) and truly rose to prominence as the guitarist of former Van Halen singer David Lee Roth before launching a successful solo career, while Satriani also made a name for himself with many fantastic albums, having also played in the supergroup Chickenfoot, and even served as a fill-in guitarist for Deep Purple in the 90s following Ritchie Blackmore’s departure. The two have also toured together as part of the G3 series of tours, but at long last, have come together for a true “band.”

SATCHVAI Band has embarked on a tour, with Joe and Steve uniting alongside drummer Kenny Aronoff, bassist Marco Mendoza, and guitarist Pete Thorn. For their tour dates, the band has recruited support act Animals as Leaders.

The Theater at Virgin Hotels was once known as the Joint back when the building was still the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, what seems like a lifetime ago. While sadly the casino floor has done away with the rock and roll theme and memorabilia, I’m happy to report that the theater itself is largely unchanged. It’s a large venue that can accommodate a good-sized crowd while at the same time feeling intimate with no “bad” seats. I’ve seen many a show here, including LA Guns/Tom Keifer, America, and Geoff Tate last year alone!

Animals as Leaders kicked off the show at approximately 7:00 PM following doors opening around 6:00 PM. Hype was pretty high for the support act; I’d never heard of them prior to this gig, but members of the audience had nothing but positive things to say about their musical talent. And sure enough, once the gig began, I quickly became a believer. The trio was able to create several unique atmospheric sounds spanning a wide array of elements, definitely keeping this music fan interested. I will admit, sometimes it’s hard for me to keep interest in instrumental-only music, but these guys are the real deal. I did have to do some research to see if any backing tracks were involved due to the “fullness” of their sound despite only being three members and lacking a bass player. The answers that came up online are somewhat contradictory, so I won’t get into that here. What matters here is that the guitarists here sound great and do something truly their own… but their drummer also shouldn’t be overshadowed, having stolen the show on more than a few occasions. Probably the only complaint I have with the band’s performance was their light show, which was far too intense and distracting; I got the high beams in my eyes more than a few times. A good light show enhances the performance; it doesn’t take away or distract from it (and these guys are talented enough they don’t need distractions). Apparently these guys have been around for over a decade and have several releases available already… which I’ll surely be adding to my collection soon!

And then came our headliners. Two of the guitar world’s greats united on one stage with a fantastic all-star band. Kicking the gig off was a hilarious video reel with a “record executive” telling the band that their tour wouldn’t sell without “dancing” due to the rapid finger movements playing the guitar being difficult for an audience to see. This beautifully set the tone for the evening; brilliant guitar playing and some epic moments, but also a night that never took itself too seriously despite the talent of the two virtuosos involved. The video screen was utilized in varying capacities throughout the evening to convey relevant and interesting visuals that enhanced the performance, but without being distracting.

The best part of this evening of guitar was that, despite the sheer talent of both Mr. Vai and Mr. Satriani, neither musician tried to upstage the other. There were times where one guitarist had no problem playing rhythm with the other’s highlights, but of course that didn’t stop us from having some epic moments of dueling leads. At times, one guitarist would leave the stage so that the other would be highlighted. Satriani impressed with renditions of some of his best known pieces, including “Surfing With the Alien,” “Flying in a Blue Dream,” and “Satch Boogie.” Vai wowed with some material from his own discography, including “Zeus in Chains” and “Teeth of the Hydra,” complete with Mr. Vai whipping out his legendary three-necked “Hydra” guitar for the latter, which got a massive response from the audience. There were some great collaborative moments as well, including a mash-up of sorts of “Ice 9” and “The Crying Machine.”

The other members of the band were no slouches either, which anyone who has followed them for any length of time knows. Bassist Marco Mendoza stole the show with one of the few vocal moments of the evening, singing the aptly-titled “I Wanna Play My Guitar.” Drummer Kenny Aronoff has long been one of the most underrated timekeepers in history, having played with everyone from John Mellencamp to John Fogerty, and in more recent years, even the Red Rocker himself, Sammy Hagar (meaning this band was basically half of the band from Hagar’s recent tour, which also featured Satriani). The one “unknown” in the band to me was the third guitarist, Pete Thorn, but he carried himself well alongside two greats of the guitar world, looking like he could’ve stepped out of a time machine from the 1970s onto the modern stage. Again, it is tough to keep me engaged with music that’s primarily instrumental only, but these guys pulled it off nicely and then some. An encore of a few covers kept the audience pumped until the very end.

Steve Vai and Joe Satriani are legendary guitar heroes who don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon – and that’s fine with this fan. These axemen have put together a fantastic band that’s the best of both worlds and then some. Their discography so far only consists of singles, but here’s hoping we get a full-on album in the near future. The opening set from Animals as Leaders was also superb, giving audiences an additional impressive array of instrumental music. No guitar fan will want to pass on this tour if it comes to their town… one of the best concerts of 2026 so far!

PHOTO CREDIT: All Live Photos By Jon Luini- Courtesy of AEG Presents- (c) 2026- All Rights Reserved